On Leaving Facebook

Data is the currency of 2019. No matter how hard I try, I will always be a part of the societal system which gives my data to corporations, governments, and probably the highest bidder as well. However, I will limit the infringements upon my privacy. I will not stand for the orchestrated manipulation of my mind.

As a (not so) small example, the Cambridge Analytica Scandal (1). Information from as many as 50 million American people’s Facebook profiles was collected. Their friend networks, their likes, God knows what else. Cambridge Analytica then offered to influence the behavior of voters based on their personality profiles.

I don’t exactly feel comfortable knowing that there is a chance that the website I visit every day is subconsciously swaying my voting one way or another. I am sure they are swinging beliefs beyond voting as well. Privacy is essential to making rational, self-driven beliefs.

(As a sort of side tirade, the new face-aging app everyone is using? The app gives its parent company the ability to use the faces and names of its users as it pleases (2). Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have similar stipulations regarding user-uploaded content. I can’t be the only one spooked about this.)

Facebook’s model, and that of most social media sites, relies on the deliberate, algorithmic reprogramming of its users. Us. Facebook’s algorithms are programmed to keep us scrolling by sending dopamine hits to our brains. This happens by garnering likes, seeing new content, playing games, finding alluring ads, etc. Our dopamine-induced actions generate revenue. In other words:

We are becoming feedback loops in the machine that keeps money in Facebook executives’ pockets.

It seems that Facebook is even making us unhappier. This study shows an 8% decrease in happiness after beginning using Facebook, perhaps because of FOMO, wasted time, or losing Candy Crush one too many times (3). I can personally attest to all three.

I’m unsure of the utility of Facebook in my life. I don’t gain much information from using it that I couldn’t glean from certain subreddits or from the news. Not having Messenger might be annoying. I think that’s worth knowing I’m somewhat protected from the corporation with, quite possibly, the most power on the face of the Earth.

Here’s a quote from one of my favorite people, Mr. Rogers: “I got into television because I saw people throwing pies in each other’s faces, and that’s such demeaning behavior. And if there’s anything that bothers me, it’s one person demeaning another.”

I see this human degradation in Facebook every day. Just as Mr. Rogers saw a beautiful opportunity in television for inspiration, truth, and teaching, I lament that social media could have been something to keep us connected with our loved ones. Instead, we now revel in dopamine hits like addicts and scroll through the feed of “that one girl I met at that party that one time,” knowing we’ll never use the information again.

I am sad about the wasted time, the loss of my privacy, and the addiction cycle in my brain. I am sad about the algorithmic polarization of our societies (4). I am sad about petabytes of data that may be used against our collective well-being.

Some friends of mine have argued that “Social media is what you make of it” and that being active in deleting unnecessary information/”friends” makes it a net positive entity. I do not think this is possible; the addiction algorithms will always win. I am leaving this God-forsaken place.

On a happier note, however, I think that this is a positive personal step and that I’ll be able to dedicate myself to cultivating tangible friendships, keeping in touch with the ones I love(through phone calls!), and spending more time learning.

I’ll be deleting my Facebook account in its entirety roughly by the end of the week–if you’d like to exchange numbers to keep in touch, send me a message. I may re-make solely Messenger to keep in touch with international folks.

All this being said, I am always an open ear and a person to talk to. Life, in general, can be incredibly difficult and I’m always welcoming of an email from anyone who reads this.

All the best,

Humza Ali Khan

Citations

1) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/technology/facebook-cambridge-analytica-explained.html

2) https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2019/07/17/viral-app-faceapp-now-owns-access-to-more-than-150-million-peoples-faces-and-names/#252f53c862f1

3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28093386

4) https://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6239/1130.full